Beet-top cutter.



W. & H. A. MAURYER. BBET TOP GUTTER'.

APPLICATION FILED APRA, 1012.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Nw?? w www@ WILLIAM MAURER AND 'HERMAN A. MAIRR, O F ROCKLYN, WASHINGTON.

IBEET-TOP CUTTER. l

specification of :letters Parent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Application led April 4, 1912. Serial No. 688,547.

To alll whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLnxM Marinai: nd HERMAN A. Mannen., (citizens of the Tuited States, residing at Roeklyn, in the ouuty of Lincoln and State of Washington,

Vhave invented certain new and useful lm# proveniente in Beetfl op Cutters; and 'we do vhereby declare the following to be a full,

`learand exact desciiptiuriv ot' the invention, suchias will enable others skilled in the art to -which appertains to makeV and use the same.

This invention relates to harvesters and itrre-lates more particularly toa beet top cutter,but it may be used foijharvesting plants other than beets. An' object of. the invention is to provide amaehine of this character for operating a band-saw having'a portion traveling in horizontal relation,fwhereby-tlre l'beet' tops vmay be severed.

JA furtherbbiect of `the :invention is to provide means associated' with' the bandsaw, for raising'and lowering the same to the properposition ,for cuttingr the respectivefbeet tops'at the proper place; that'is, immediately above the beet root.

A still further object of the. invention is to provide means for properly and auto-` matically tensioning theband-saw.- n.

A. further Objectis to provide a device of this character, which .is so simple of construction and 'operation that an unskilled.

person lmay operate the same. I

kFurther objects 'and advantages may appear in the following and iii the claims. l

In lthe accompanying drawings, which form a part of this a lication, Figure 1 is a side elevation of t e machine embodying my invention, and, Fig. 2 is a front ele-l vation thereof.

Referring vto these drawings, in which similar reference characters correspond with similar parts throughout the several views, the main frame 5 is supported by a main axle 6, the latter being sup orted 'and adapted to be rotated by groun the .machine is drawn, through the medium .of the draft-beam '8, by any proper means. A pair of hangers 9 are carried by the main frame and support a pair of pulleys 10,

which carry "a band-saw 11. The frame 5 is also provided with a pair of guides12 which engage the grooves 13 of the saw adjusting trame 14, the latter carrying an 'upper and a lower pair of tension pulleys wheels 7 when some to the draft animals'.

15. The upper pulleys have their axes movably seated relative to the frame 'l-l, and are provided with spring adjusting means consisting oit a plunger 1G and a spring li', so related to the .upper adjusting pulleys as to hold them firmly againstthe bandeau' at all times. and thereby to compensate for any stretch or yielding of the band-'saw and thereby retain the proper tension thereof. A handl lever 18 is pivotally secured to a. segmental member l!) and is adapted to .be

adjusted relative thereto, in a well kijiow.l

manner.' The 'frame 'l1 is connected tosuid hand lever 18 by means of yertical links 12?",-

a bell crank 20 and n horizontal link Q1; so that, when the lever l8"is mzulipulated the frame 14- is thereby raised orllowered. When thus raised or lowered, the iframeI 14 slides through the guides 12 and carries the intermediary portions remain stationary; so that, when the frame is at its uppermostposition, the upper portion of the sa'w will assume a curved toi mation, while the-lower part of4 the saw will assume a straight formation. Therefore, the saw remains under control of the springs 17, Whether in upper, lower or intermediate positidn.

One of the pulleys 10 is provided with a stub axleQQwhich connects with a-shat't 23, through the medium of the knuckle oint 24, and said shaft4 carries a gear wheel Q5, which meshes with agear wheel 26, carried by the axle G; so that, when the axle 6 rotates the shafts 22 and .23 are rotated and carry the pulleys 10 and band-saw 1l. pulleys 10' and wheels 15 may he flanged, as shown, for preventing the saw from being forced back and oft' of their peripheries, and .as an additional safeguard, we provide a sawl guide 27, of the usual construction, which may be placed as shown 'in Fig. 9 or in, any other convenient and operative position.

We have provided adrivers-seat 2S, carried by a spring support 9.9, secured at the rear end 'of the tongue member 8, which extends to the rear end of the main frame,

.ancethe weight of the saw-frame' and other-elements. connected therewith, thereby relieving a considerable amount of the Weight which would otherwise be burdenof the .band-'saw therewith, while the axes of the pulle vs 10 The It will be seen that we have provided a beet harvesting machine whichis capable of attaining the foregoing objects, and

. following claims.

We claim: i l. In a beet top harvester, a main frame, an axle supporting the frame, vground/wheels supporting and adapted to rotate the axle, l

an adjusting frame carried in a plane forward of the ground wheels,a pair of pulleys having their axes fixed onthe main frame and in the plane of the adjusting frame, a

'band-saw carried by the pulleys, and means 'associated with the main trame and with the adjusting frame whereby the latter may be moved vertically for adjusting the position of the saw independently of the pulleys which carry the saw. t y

2. In' a beet top harvester, a main frame, a main axle supporting the main frame and supported by a'pair ot' ground wheels and rotatable with the ground Wheels, bearings supported by the forward end of then'lain frame, pulleys carried by the bearings, means connecting the main axle with one oi the pulleys for rotating the latter, a bandsaw carried by the pulleys, and combined adjusting. and tension means for the band-sang ported by a l)movable frame carrying wheels in contact l with the saw7 certain of said wheels being vautomatically adjustable relative to the ad-A justingframe. l

3. In a beet top harvester; a main frame, a main axle supporting the 'frame and sup- 4 pair of ground wheels and adapted \t\obe vrotated thereby, a pair of pulleys'having their axes secured to the main frame and adapted to be rotated by the lmain axle', a band-saw carried by the' 5 pulleys, and means for raising and lowering the operating part of the band-saw.

4. In a beet top harvester, a main frame a band-saw supported by the main fram and adapted to travel in a. vertical plane vertical guidesvcarried by the frame, and adjusting means associated with the guides, whereby the operating portion of the saw may be raised and lowered relative to the main frame.

5. In a beet top harvester, a `main frame, a band-saw carried by the main frame,l meansh associated with the band-saw for guiding tlle saine, an. adjusting i rame for theA band-saw, an adjusting lever, and means comprising a bell-crank andl links for Inoving the adjusting means and thereby'adjusting the saw.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presencev of two subscribing Witnesses.

l/VILLl'A-M MAURER,

- HERMAN A. MAURER.

Witnesses A. P. SwENsoN, EMEL KRUGER.

Copies of this patent may 'ne obtained for five cents each, by addressing 'che Commissioner of Patents, Washington, '1). C. 

